The 2011 New York Football Giants schedule was released yesterday and it promises more of the same for Giants fans. A predicted fast start, a balanced home and away schedule, and then the opportunity to make or break their season in the last 7 weeks. Knowing Tom Coughlin it is the exact challenge he wants for his players. He and the coaching staff are going to concentrate on one message this year...FINISHING....finishing the 4th quarter and finishing the season.
It is tough for fans to have such an off balanced schedule for one simple reason. When your team opens up 6-1, you have great expectations of a fabulous season, when realistically you can look for them to finish either 4-5, or 5-4 and still make the playoffs or win the division. Of course all the "experts" will point to their downward spiral and lack of finishing ability heading into the post season, but that's why you intelligent fans read blogs like this, instead of listening to Joe Buck and the other talking heads.
The bye week comes in week 7, and there are 4 prime time games scheduled. The Giants will host a Monday night game for the first time in years as their home opener against the St. Louis Rams. They also have a strange stretch of consecutive home games throughout the month of October. Games on Christmas Eve and New Years Day will surely cause some problems with the family, but it's the Giants, and most of our families are united behind them and will understand.
The draft and free agency are still to come, so to access any team on the schedule is truly difficult. Miami and Arizona are looking for QB's for instance, and we know that the Redskins will probably be without Donovan McNabb come the opener on September 11th.
Look for the same fight to 10 or 11 wins....and look for the theme of FINISHING to be prominent around Giants camp all year.
